Defender of the Empire: Cadet #1 Read Online Free Page A

outer rings. I sighed and concentrated on weaving through the crowd. That and not stumbling when I saw a different species. After a while my mind numbed at seeing so many people and species in one place. There were plenty of humans, but there were also many Hivens (who look like wingless flies if you ask me), and petite fluttering Avrens. The last flew in the upper corridor so none of the rest of us would step on their long iridescent feathers. I kept glancing up at them, fascinated by the pulsing beat of their four wings. Once I almost stepped on a furry tail belonging to one of the Leopard Kin. That would have been an eviscerating experience, I am sure. From then on, I kept my eyes busy at finding a path through the crush.
    The directions Westley had given me were easy . All I had had to do was to follow the corridor until I found Ring One. Then all I had to do was find corridor C, turn right and walk past the Moon Café. Fifty feet beyond that, near the transport rentals was the Academy Branch on the left side of the corridor. Of course, at Ring Two, these wonderful directions became worthless.
    Trust construction to confuse everything and make life a little more interesting. At the time, I just hadn’t known how interesting my life would become. Sighing I decided to take corridor C of the second ring. My hope was to meet up with another ring connecting passage and continue on to Ring One. Once there I would figure out just how far I needed to back track to find the Academy Branch. It was a solid plan and it was my only option.
    The only problem was, it got a little creepy. The constant crowd began to lessen till I was the only one. At the time, most of my thoughts were occupied with how I could convince the Admissions Board to let me join the Academy. I had no idea how much pull Captain W ingstar’s recommendation would have on their decision. So I began to rehearse possible pleas or arguments to bring before them that could possibly sway them decide in my favor. A trial and my only crime is the one of my birth. I thought with morbid humor.
    Suddenly I heard a woman’s cry for help.
     
                 
    Chapter 3 the Inadvertent Witness
                  I froze for a moment wondering at the odds that something like this would happen to me while on a Prime Planet’s space station. Not just any station, either. This was the Imperial Station. A colonist like me would surely be blamed. But even so I had to do what I could for the woman. I ran toward the cries. As I ran I could hear the sounds that hinted of a scuffle and the low taunting laughs of guys in a gang. I grimaced. Back on Lenti I had heard similar sounds all the time. Up ahead, I could see a bend in the corridor. I slowed down and hung close to the wall. Eventually I saw an old woman on the ground pleading with a group of young men. They were digging through her bag, littering the floor with the odds and ends of a traveler. Each of the men had tattoos on every inch of skin that I could see. It made them look like walking comic books. The shortest of the gang turned a sneer on the sobbing old woman.
                  “Your credits, ma’am. Know you ‘ave to ave a few.”
                  “Please. You have taken everything I ‘ave.” The woman sobbed weakly.
                  The thug shook his head and balled his hand into a fist. “I don’t think so.”
                  Narrowing my eyes at him I decided that he and his gang were going to pay. Honestly, who other than the scum of society harmed the elderly? I mean, really? I glanced around for a weapon and smiled when I saw a crowbar near a stall under construction on the other side of the hall. I just needed to get over there. Weapon, check. I glanced back at the old woman. Now I just needed to distract them from her.
                  Well, here it goes . I thought taking a breath.
                  “So, who is